Main idea of the text:
Dreaming and hard work hepled Michael Stone on his way to success.
Structure of the text:
a. Ss do Text organization Exercise 1 to know the structure of the text.
   b. T guides Ss to find out the flashback used in this text by posing the following two questions:
    i Ss scan the first sentence of Paras 1-6, and tell T which first sentence switches from past tense to past perfect tense?
   -------(the first sentence of para.3)
    " T tells Ss the transition of tense here is the signal of using flashback in narration:
    a story is usually narrated in the simple past tense. When a past event is recalled, the past perfect tense will be used as a signal. Afterwards the flashback is also narrated in the simple past tense.
    ii  Which first sentence shows that the flashback is over and the narration returns to the National Junior Olympics?
    ------(the first sentence of Para 6)
3.Language points:
 1)bear out: prove that (sth.) is true
   e.g. The evidence that the US Central Intelligence Agency has obtained bears out their claims that Bin Laden is closely related to the September11 terrorist attacks in the USA.
 2)mere=nothing more than
 3)fantasy: imagination, esp. when it has no connection at all with reality
   e.g. I still have the fantasy that one day I will win the National Lottery.
 4) numerous=very many
 5)passion=zeal, enthusiasm
 6) detail: relevant forms----- detailed,  in detail,  go into detail(s)
 7) recur=reappear
 8)coincide: a. happen at the same time (followed by with)
   e.g. The art exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death.
   b. be in agreement (with)
   e.g. Our interests coincide.
 9) alternate: every other or second; happening by turns
   e.g. We spend alternate Sundays with my hasband’s parents.
 10) on one/two/several occasion(s): once/twice/several times in the past.
    e.g. He drinks far too much. On occasion I saw him drink a whole bottle of vodka.
 11) be ashamed of: feeling foolish or uncomfortable because of (sth.)
    e.g. You should be ashamed of yourself, telling lies at your age.
 12) startle=surprise, astonish
 13) intensity: the state of being intense
    e.g. The mayor didn’t realize the intensity of people’s feelings on the housing issue.
 14) anxiety: adj. anxious
    collocations: be anxious about /for 焦急，担忧
               be anxious for 渴望，盼望
               be anxious to do 渴望干…
    T asks Ss to make sentences by means of the relevant collocations:
    我们盼望着你的平安归来。We are anxious for your safe return.
    她渴望见到她的父母。 She is anxious to see her parents.
 15)tension: worry or nervousness
    e.g. Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen since the December 13 attack on the Indian Parliament.
  16)along with: together with
    e.g. Along with hundreds of others he had invested money in stocks and bonds.
  17) stretch out: hold a part of your body straight our in front of you
    e.g. She stretched out a hand and lifted the glass to her lips.
  18) bring (sb.) back to earth: cause (sb.) to return to reality
    e.g. Emily’s voice brought him back to earth.
  19)in one’s mind’s eye: in one’s imagination; in one’s memory
    e.g. In his mind’s eye, she is still a shy girl.
  20)media: (collective n.)
    e.g. Much of what children learn comes directly from the mass media.
 4. Discourse comprehension:
 the features of the text-------
 i  the design of the closing line of this story:
    "As we read on, our admiration for Michael is building up( e.g. he broke both national and international records), and we think the story has reached the climax;
"However, the real climax is in the last sentence.
"When we find that out, what a great impact it has on us!
"Also, it increased our admiration for the hero. 
"Questions relevant to last sentence:
----what kind of feeling do you have after you read the last sentence?
----without the last sentence, would you still admire Michael’s achievement?
Why?
----who would you admire better, a Michael with a sound body or a blind Michael?
-----why does the author keep the secret about Michael’s blindness until the last sentence?
ii  the usage of “puns”
   " T guides Ss to find out the usage of puns in the text.
e.g. The title “True Height”
   ① the new bar heights
   ② trememdous obstacles Michael had overcome in attaining his goal
e.g. “hot”
   ① the literal meaning is having a high temperature
   ② the figurative meaning is the fierce, intense competition
iii  the author uses details skillfully:
 e.g. How do we know that Michael’s success at pole-vaulting is esp. significant?
 -----we know it by inferring, because even “Bert ‘ If you Want it, Work For It’ Stone was crying like a baby in his wife’s arms. He was crying harder than Mildred had ever seen before”.
 e.g. How do we conclude that Michael is a highly motivated person with a passion for detail?
-------Because the author told us in detail how he had followed a rigid training program, as well as how he appeared unmoved by his own success and going on doggedly to scale a new height, not once forgetting “ his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups”.
b.Ss sum up the characteristics of the hero and find the supporting details to show the characteristics.
c. Activity: finding out details
  " T introduces the activity by saying: A child usually inherits characteristics from both his/her mother and father. So does Michael Stone. Michael’s mother is romantic and passionate, while his father is a hard-core realist. Work with a partner, find out those details about Michael Stone that shows him to be his mother’s boy or his father’s son.
" Some pairs report to the class their findings.
d. Output: how to write a personal description? (Ss may refer to the Writing Strategy in Theme-Related Language Learning Tasks)